London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Jul 19, 2025

Prince Harry and Meghan appeal to G20 to keep Covid vaccine donation pledges

Prince Harry and Meghan appeal to G20 to keep Covid vaccine donation pledges

Prince Harry and Meghan join WHO in urging leaders to honour promises to help low-income countries
Prince Harry and Meghan have joined the World Health Organization (WHO) and Save the Children in appealing to G20 leaders meeting this weekend to honour promises to send Covid-19 vaccines to low-income countries where just 3% of people have had a jab.

It is one of the most directly political initiatives at a high-profile political summit by the former royal couple since they left the British royal household.

In a two-page letter, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, the WHO director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Save the Children International CEO, Inger Ashing, and representatives of other health charities called for the world’s wealthiest countries to accelerate long-promised donations and break the hold pharmaceutical companies have over access to vaccines. The issue was being discussed at a G20 health ministers meeting in Rome where it was agreed to try to vaccinate 70% of all populations by mid-2022.

But the letter urges greater ambition, pointing out that “among countries represented at the G20, there are a handful with millions of surplus vaccines that are destined to be wasted once they expire,” the letter said.

“Every discarded dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, when there are the mechanisms to donate them, should outrage us all. Each dose represents a real person – a mother, father, daughter, or son – who could have been protected.”

They said 7bn doses of Covid-19 vaccines have been administered globally with some people now receiving three vaccines, but Covax – the initiative designed to help fairly achieve global access to vaccines – had only received 11.5% of the promised 1.3bn doses.

Global targets have been set to vaccinate 40% of the population of every country by the end of 2021 and 70% by mid-2022. It is expected that the G20 leaders’ summit in Rome this weekend will see that target brought forward, but previously some European powers have not met their vaccine pledges.

“By delivering already-pledged doses, helping countries manufacture their own vaccines, and prioritising vaccines for nations in need, the G20 can help ensure the world delivers on these promises,” said the letter that was also signed by the Vaccine Alliance, UNAIDS, Clinton Foundation and Global Citizen.

“We can’t simply hope for the pandemic to end on its own. As the virus progresses through unvaccinated populations, we risk new and more deadly strains sweeping the planet.”

The letter also calls for the G20 to immediately close a 550m-dose gap to accelerate towards WHO’s 40% coverage target by the end of 2021, by speeding up existing commitments of donations to Covax, pledging new ones, executing swaps with Covax, and eliminating export restrictions on vaccines.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Defends Attorney General Pam Bondi Amid Epstein Memo Backlash
Renault Shares Drop as CEO Luca de Meo Announces Departure Amid Reports of Move to Kering
Senior Aides for King Charles and Prince Harry Hold Secret Peace Summit
Anti‑Semitism ‘Normalised’ in Middle‑Class Britain, Says Commission Co‑Chair
King Charles Meets David Beckham at Chelsea Flower Show
If the Department is Really About Justice: Ghislaine Maxwell Should Be Freed Now
NYC Candidate Zohran Mamdani’s ‘Antifada’ Remarks Spark National Debate on Political Language and Economic Policy
President Trump Visits Flood-Ravaged Texas, Praises Community Strength and First Responders
From Mystery to Meltdown, Crisis Within the Trump Administration: Epstein Files Ignite A Deepening Rift at the Highest Levels of Government Reveals Chaos, Leaks, and Growing MAGA Backlash
Trump Slams Putin Over War Death Toll, Teases Major Russia Announcement
Reparations argument crushed
Rainmaker CEO Says Cloud Seeding Paused Before Deadly Texas Floods
×